To accompany ‘Want your own AI double? There could be big benefits — and risks’

SCIENCE

Before Reading:

1. What does it mean to be a friend? Do you think a computer can ever be your friend? Briefly explain your answer.
2. Consider the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology. If such technology allowed you to create a digital clone of yourself, would you do it? Why or why not?
3. Imagine a friend created a digital clone of themself, then used it to answer your phone calls. If this clone sounded and acted just like your friend, would you converse with this clone like you do with your friend? Why or why not?

During Reading:

1. Give one example of how Dara Ladjevardian’s clone might assist him in his work.
2. According to Ladjevardian, how might digital clones serve a similar purpose as books?
3. Summarize one of Evan Ratliff’s concerns regarding the new AI-clone tech.
4. Give an example of how this technology could help improve dating apps.
5. Caryn Marjorie was one of the first influencers to set up her own digital clone and make it publicly available to chat with the public. What unexpected problem did she encounter?
6. How might this technology provide mental health support in the future? Regarding this support, what would digital clones offer that AI chatbots do not?
7. How do the “legends” created by Delphi differ from most digital clones?
8. Give three examples of people that Delphi “legends” have been created to represent.
9. Summarize how Sun Kai feels about talking to his mother’s digital clone.
10. Summarize one of Katarzyna Nowaczyk-Basińska’s concerns regarding this new technology.

After Reading:

1. This story describes friendships between AI and humans as “one-sided.” What does it mean for a friendship to be “one-sided”? If someone describes a human-human friendship as “one-sided,” does that generally indicate an overall positive, negative or neutral friendship? Consider the various ways that humans may use digital clones in the future. Keeping in mind the “one-sided” nature of human-AI relationships, point to one potential application that would both (a) make use of the technology’s capabilities and (b) not put people at significant risk. Explain your answer.
2. Identify one concern you have regarding this technology moving into the future. Identify one potential benefit you might receive from this technology in the future. To what extent do you believe the benefits outweigh the concerns? As we move into the future, describe one specific change we could make to help us use such technology responsibly.